The 5 Man Acoustical Jam was in town tonight. What an awesome show! Those guys are so musical. They weren't completely unplugged. Frank and Tommy each had an electric handy and Tommy used my favorite, a Les Paul. They even did my favorite tune Edison's Medicine. It was great to see how tight these guys are. They were goofing off and riffed into Sympathy For The Devil for a verse and the crowd went nuts singing along. Frank also sang some Led Zep for us. His voice is fantastic! They also performed Signs and Truckin', to round out the cover tunes. They did some newer tunes like opening with Into The Now and had fun performing all the hits. Jeff had so much fun tonight even though he seemed to struggle a little bit. He hit all the notes with passion and just had a great time with the Des Moines crowd.
Tesla has always set themselves apart musically. They don't write your typical song structures and they don't use just one or two influences. You can hear Frank's Spanish guitar influences come out in his playing. You can hear the intricate rhythms of Troy and Brian. Tommy's playing is as passionate as it ever was. Jeff's singing has always been melodic and easy to understand. Everything they do they make their own.
A friend of mine from work went with me to the show and his guitar teacher played the last two songs with Tesla, Signs and Little Suzi. That was a treat for him to see.
Go see this show and catch them opening for Def Leppard this summer.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Do You Root For Winners?
I'm sure you've noticed this, but there are many people who tend to tear down winners. Bill Gates started in his garage and became wealthy, but people tend to tear him down. The New York Yankees have a winning tradition, but people love to hate them. Donald Trump is rich beyond belief, but people want to make fun of his hair. What is it with people that just want to make winners seem like losers? Envy and jealousy?
When we were all young, we were taught to admire those that made something of themselves. We were taught in games that we needed to be winners. We enjoy movies where the guy gets the girl and the good guy beats the bad guy. We even cheer on underdogs because we want them to be winners, too.
I think we need to get back to cheering for winners. We all want to be winners and we should congratulate winners without begrudging them their victory.
We also need to make sure that our winners are truly the best of the best. We send our best to the Olympics. We try to teach our children to be the best they can be. So why do we have wild card teams in baseball and football? Why do we let losers have a second chance when we already have clear winners? Are we penalizing winners for their success? Does it sound like I'm bitter about the Red Sox beating the Yankees?
With taxes, why do the rich pay a higher percentage of taxes for their income than I do? Shouldn't we all pay something like 10%? Wouldn't that truly be fair? Why do we punish winners with our tax code instead of making taxes a flat percentage of what we earn? Why are we being told that the more money we make, the bigger slice of it government wants?
In politics we have a clear majority in the House, Senate, and Executive Branch. Why are we letting losers slow things down and keep the winners from accomplishing what the public voted them in to do? In this case, maybe the winners need to act like winners and remind the losers that they lost.
I'm not sure what it will take, but I know that I'm doing my best to raise my children to dream of and aim for excellence. My girls know they have an opportunity in life to be the best. There isn't anything holding them back. I want my children to be winners and look to winners for advice and ideas.
Try making friends with people who are better off than you. Try making friends who don't have the same problems in your weakest areas. Put yourself around people who you admire for reaching their goals in life. Surround yourself with positive, uplifting people who make you feel great about yourself. Dump the losers and surround yourself with winners. You may be surprised at how they pull you up when you may have lived a life where you let losers pull you down.
When we were all young, we were taught to admire those that made something of themselves. We were taught in games that we needed to be winners. We enjoy movies where the guy gets the girl and the good guy beats the bad guy. We even cheer on underdogs because we want them to be winners, too.
I think we need to get back to cheering for winners. We all want to be winners and we should congratulate winners without begrudging them their victory.
We also need to make sure that our winners are truly the best of the best. We send our best to the Olympics. We try to teach our children to be the best they can be. So why do we have wild card teams in baseball and football? Why do we let losers have a second chance when we already have clear winners? Are we penalizing winners for their success? Does it sound like I'm bitter about the Red Sox beating the Yankees?
With taxes, why do the rich pay a higher percentage of taxes for their income than I do? Shouldn't we all pay something like 10%? Wouldn't that truly be fair? Why do we punish winners with our tax code instead of making taxes a flat percentage of what we earn? Why are we being told that the more money we make, the bigger slice of it government wants?
In politics we have a clear majority in the House, Senate, and Executive Branch. Why are we letting losers slow things down and keep the winners from accomplishing what the public voted them in to do? In this case, maybe the winners need to act like winners and remind the losers that they lost.
I'm not sure what it will take, but I know that I'm doing my best to raise my children to dream of and aim for excellence. My girls know they have an opportunity in life to be the best. There isn't anything holding them back. I want my children to be winners and look to winners for advice and ideas.
Try making friends with people who are better off than you. Try making friends who don't have the same problems in your weakest areas. Put yourself around people who you admire for reaching their goals in life. Surround yourself with positive, uplifting people who make you feel great about yourself. Dump the losers and surround yourself with winners. You may be surprised at how they pull you up when you may have lived a life where you let losers pull you down.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Ken Whisler
My page was graced with a comment from my favorite guitar player! His name is Ken Whisler and you can check out his site at http://www.geocities.com/kmaaj@swbell.net/ for information on what he does.
You will see pictures of Ken in the photo gallery under Brett And The Hitmen and Rat Race. He started The Hitmen and recruited me to sing, thanks to his wonderful wife Mary. Hitmen turned into Rat Race and it is the most professional band I ever had the pleasure of singing for.
Ken started out playing with a Strat and a Les Paul. He eventually went with two Les Pauls, one tuned down and one tuned normal. He would play that Les Paul through a Marshall stack and cost me 20% of my hearing on my left side. :) That is my favorite sound in the world! With Ken being classically trained, it really took a great guitar player or a big change in our set list to have anyone else play in the band. This guy just plain rocks!
Ken has told me that he sold off the Les Pauls. I know that Mary almost cried and I just about did, too, when I heard this news. Ken has really focused in on his classical playing and handcrafting guitars. He has been able to meet classical guitar making luminaries and keep in touch with them via e-mail. I did receive an e-mail the other day stating that he and one of KC's finest drummers are planning some prog-rock trio music, so I'm anxious to hear what they come up with.
Ken's wife Mary was extremely supportive of Rat Race. She even hired me as a donut maker in her shop when I had no experience whatsoever. She would work the weekends that the band played. She supported us financially with the purchase of a van and trailer and she and Ken owned a large portion of the gear. They even set up their garage as a rehearsal room after the living room got too crammed. She helped Ken get one of his Les Pauls, I believe, as a gift. She would video tape some shows and take plenty of pictures, too. She was our 5th member. Maybe later I will tell you about her first gig back after the birth of their son. :) I'm sure Mary has tried forgetting that night!
I'm also not-so-secretly hoping for a Rat Race reunion gig some day. Rat Race was a very tight band and we had some great shows together. I am certainly thankful to Ken and Mary for inviting me to audition for the band and for the years we played together. Check out Ken's site and pass it along!
You will see pictures of Ken in the photo gallery under Brett And The Hitmen and Rat Race. He started The Hitmen and recruited me to sing, thanks to his wonderful wife Mary. Hitmen turned into Rat Race and it is the most professional band I ever had the pleasure of singing for.
Ken started out playing with a Strat and a Les Paul. He eventually went with two Les Pauls, one tuned down and one tuned normal. He would play that Les Paul through a Marshall stack and cost me 20% of my hearing on my left side. :) That is my favorite sound in the world! With Ken being classically trained, it really took a great guitar player or a big change in our set list to have anyone else play in the band. This guy just plain rocks!
Ken has told me that he sold off the Les Pauls. I know that Mary almost cried and I just about did, too, when I heard this news. Ken has really focused in on his classical playing and handcrafting guitars. He has been able to meet classical guitar making luminaries and keep in touch with them via e-mail. I did receive an e-mail the other day stating that he and one of KC's finest drummers are planning some prog-rock trio music, so I'm anxious to hear what they come up with.
Ken's wife Mary was extremely supportive of Rat Race. She even hired me as a donut maker in her shop when I had no experience whatsoever. She would work the weekends that the band played. She supported us financially with the purchase of a van and trailer and she and Ken owned a large portion of the gear. They even set up their garage as a rehearsal room after the living room got too crammed. She helped Ken get one of his Les Pauls, I believe, as a gift. She would video tape some shows and take plenty of pictures, too. She was our 5th member. Maybe later I will tell you about her first gig back after the birth of their son. :) I'm sure Mary has tried forgetting that night!
I'm also not-so-secretly hoping for a Rat Race reunion gig some day. Rat Race was a very tight band and we had some great shows together. I am certainly thankful to Ken and Mary for inviting me to audition for the band and for the years we played together. Check out Ken's site and pass it along!
DOORS SHOW CANCELLED
From the DATEBOOK 4/21/05
"The Doors Of The 21st Century concert scheduled for Aug. 28 at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines has been canceled. Ticketholders can receive refunds at the point of purchase. But Friday's show at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City is still on..."
What this basically means is that Des Moines can't support an act like this coming to town so the Doors decided to cancel. I'm not sure why an artist would cancel a gig just because ticket sales aren't what they hoped. The band still gets money. The promoter, on the other hand doesn't, and they are probably the ones that cancelled. What a shame. Word of mouth is what brings people out to more shows. Keep a show like this on the schedule and future shows will only grow in number. Occasionally you have to take a loss early on to make future shows possible. What a crock and what a disappointment. At least I still have Tesla next week!
"The Doors Of The 21st Century concert scheduled for Aug. 28 at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines has been canceled. Ticketholders can receive refunds at the point of purchase. But Friday's show at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City is still on..."
What this basically means is that Des Moines can't support an act like this coming to town so the Doors decided to cancel. I'm not sure why an artist would cancel a gig just because ticket sales aren't what they hoped. The band still gets money. The promoter, on the other hand doesn't, and they are probably the ones that cancelled. What a shame. Word of mouth is what brings people out to more shows. Keep a show like this on the schedule and future shows will only grow in number. Occasionally you have to take a loss early on to make future shows possible. What a crock and what a disappointment. At least I still have Tesla next week!
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
New Music By Established Artists
Did you see Bret Michaels on Nashville Star last night? He performed Nothin' But A Good Time to open the show and was joined by the 4 remaining performers. At the end of the show he performed a song off of his forthcoming country CD Freedom Of Sound called Open Road. Good song. His voice was a tad weak, but it was a solid performance.
Bret's a good songwriter. I still play Songs Of Life quite often and I enjoy the songs he performed live, All I Ever Needed and New Breed Of American Cowboy. They are just good songs with some country flavor. I'm not a fan of country, but I like good songs.
I talked to the program director at Lazer 103.3 the other day. I asked him about Waterstock and what they would be playing to promote the show, specifically for Bret Michaels and Skid Row as they have newer CD's out. The director said he hadn't decided on any Skid Row material and would only be playing Poison as the materials he received for Bret were too country for their station. I asked if he had heard Songs Of Life and he hadn't. I also suggested a few Skid tunes that I know they were doing in their set (All New Generation, Thick Skin, and Ghost).
Seeing as Lazer is really going to go about promoting this as a nostalgia show, at least it seems that way, I thought it would be a good idea to e-mail Skid Row and Bret and have them contact the station with some ideas. I suggested Bret get them a copy of Songs Of Life and specifically mentioned Menace To Society and It's My Party. I suggested to Skid Row to encourage their new material as well.
I'm so tired of radio stations and other media outlets treating bands as temporary. Poison still tours and even recorded Hollyweird. LA Guns did one of their best CD's ever with Waking The Dead. Tesla, Skid Row, Jack Russell, Bret Michaels, Jani Lane, Firehouse, Quiet Riot, Enuff Z'Nuff, and tons of others have done CD's in the last couple of years. Why can't radio play new songs by artists that have been around a while? They do it with the mellow guys like Sting and Clapton.
I have found one outlet that does play the new material. XM Satellite Radio. The Boneyard. They were playing new Rough Cutt last time I had mine on. I haven't had XM in over a year, but plan on getting it again this summer.
The other plan is to bombard local radio stations and talk directly to program directors. There needs to be an outlet for this music. I've had young friends really enjoy Bret's music, Jani's song Better Than You, Tesla's Into The Now, and the new Firehouse. I know that this music has an audience and would capture a larger one with promotion. How often have we all grumbled about what radio and MTV play? How many of us are doing something about it? Well, I'm getting my friends hooked and calling radio stations. That has to be a start.
Let me know if you have other ideas. I'm willing to help!
Bret's a good songwriter. I still play Songs Of Life quite often and I enjoy the songs he performed live, All I Ever Needed and New Breed Of American Cowboy. They are just good songs with some country flavor. I'm not a fan of country, but I like good songs.
I talked to the program director at Lazer 103.3 the other day. I asked him about Waterstock and what they would be playing to promote the show, specifically for Bret Michaels and Skid Row as they have newer CD's out. The director said he hadn't decided on any Skid Row material and would only be playing Poison as the materials he received for Bret were too country for their station. I asked if he had heard Songs Of Life and he hadn't. I also suggested a few Skid tunes that I know they were doing in their set (All New Generation, Thick Skin, and Ghost).
Seeing as Lazer is really going to go about promoting this as a nostalgia show, at least it seems that way, I thought it would be a good idea to e-mail Skid Row and Bret and have them contact the station with some ideas. I suggested Bret get them a copy of Songs Of Life and specifically mentioned Menace To Society and It's My Party. I suggested to Skid Row to encourage their new material as well.
I'm so tired of radio stations and other media outlets treating bands as temporary. Poison still tours and even recorded Hollyweird. LA Guns did one of their best CD's ever with Waking The Dead. Tesla, Skid Row, Jack Russell, Bret Michaels, Jani Lane, Firehouse, Quiet Riot, Enuff Z'Nuff, and tons of others have done CD's in the last couple of years. Why can't radio play new songs by artists that have been around a while? They do it with the mellow guys like Sting and Clapton.
I have found one outlet that does play the new material. XM Satellite Radio. The Boneyard. They were playing new Rough Cutt last time I had mine on. I haven't had XM in over a year, but plan on getting it again this summer.
The other plan is to bombard local radio stations and talk directly to program directors. There needs to be an outlet for this music. I've had young friends really enjoy Bret's music, Jani's song Better Than You, Tesla's Into The Now, and the new Firehouse. I know that this music has an audience and would capture a larger one with promotion. How often have we all grumbled about what radio and MTV play? How many of us are doing something about it? Well, I'm getting my friends hooked and calling radio stations. That has to be a start.
Let me know if you have other ideas. I'm willing to help!
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Photo Gallery
I put up a few more photo galleries. There are three with old bands. You can laugh all you like at the pictures of my old bands. There have been other bands, but these are the pictures I had ready. I will get around to labeling them later.
Brett and the Hitmen turned into Rat Race so you will see 3 of the same faces in those galleries. Zombie Zoo was my second gigging band. I was in one called The Boom in Jopin, MO, that gigged twice. Zombie Zoo did a very busy year, so that was my first real band experience.
In order, I sang for The Boom, Zombie Zoo, Third Degree, Stiff Kitti, XentriX, Brett And The Hitmen, Rat Race, and part time for Weatherhead. There was one other band in KC, but I can't remember the name and it was only one gig.
Most of the tunes were covers, but I did have several originals played in most of those bands. I played a lot of stages in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. I miss it and it was always a blast.
If you're not sure which one is me, look for the face half covered in hair.
Brett and the Hitmen turned into Rat Race so you will see 3 of the same faces in those galleries. Zombie Zoo was my second gigging band. I was in one called The Boom in Jopin, MO, that gigged twice. Zombie Zoo did a very busy year, so that was my first real band experience.
In order, I sang for The Boom, Zombie Zoo, Third Degree, Stiff Kitti, XentriX, Brett And The Hitmen, Rat Race, and part time for Weatherhead. There was one other band in KC, but I can't remember the name and it was only one gig.
Most of the tunes were covers, but I did have several originals played in most of those bands. I played a lot of stages in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. I miss it and it was always a blast.
If you're not sure which one is me, look for the face half covered in hair.
Customer Service
Whatever happened to "the customer is always right"? Whatever happened to taking care of your long term customers? Whatever happened to good old fashioned customer service? I miss it!
I've been a customer of the local phone company for about 5 years. I have always had their cheap phone service, but their best DSL. I love DSL for the security, the stability of the speed, and the upload speed. I have a roommate that loves to play games and when I am downloading, he needs good frame rates to enjoy his games. This is where the upload is so vital. Cable tops out at 256K for their competing price even though they have a 4MB download speed. With DSL I currently get a 1MB upload and a 1.5MB download, which will soon be increased to 3MB. I've always asked for and received their best speeds.
Billing has been another issue entirely! I was overbilled for 11 months in a row for my DSL. When they pull up my account it reads like a book with all the overbilling, cuts in service, and their own mistakes. I will admit that I have paid my bill behind a month many times, but they always get their money and more when they overbill. It used to be that if I was a few days behind they would turn off my phone, but leave the DSL alone. I could call from work, make a payment during lunch, and have my phone turned back on when I got home. All this without interrupting my DSL. Now they turn off the DSL instead of the phone. Getting DSL turned back on takes 5 business days.
Earlier this month I had made a payment and let a manager know that I would get caught up on the 15th when I got paid. I made my payment early that morning and while doing so on the phone realized I had no DSL. The manager had either put my payment date in the comments and they didn't get saved or he didn't enter it at all. When I had talked to him I was assured that paying on the 15th would not be a problem and would not cause an interrupt in my service. I was told it would be Friday before my service was back up. I did talk to a manager last night who was going to expedite this. I don't know what they did, but I'm back up at full speed tonight, even though earlier tonight a manager told me he would have it back up Thursday instead of Friday. I just happened to notice it was up while playing cards and Norton performed an update. Weird, but I will take it!
Since my service is back up early for some unexplained reason, why am I still griping? As a loyal customer in spite of all the problems they have brought on, do I get decent treatment? Well, it depends on who I'm talking to, how ticked I may be, and what mood they are in. Why should that matter at all? Shouldn't they be so kind as to call and ask if there is a problem with the service if I'm more behind than usual? And shouldn't they do this before messing with my account? Wouldn't it be nice if they asked me what they should turn off to get my attention? This way I could choose the phone so that I'm back up and running within hours instead of days.
I'm just tired of having so many problems with this one company after all this time and after all their mistakes. You would think that they would go out of their way to provide great customer service when they have gotten my money for several years without fail. I have never had so many problems with this one company that I wish I could start up competition.
I have trained customer service representatives. I know how customers want and should be treated. I've trained computer technicians how to treat customers. I've trained perfume/cologne sales people on how to take care of their customers. It's really a no brainer. You treat others like you would like to be treated. I know we all get caught up in our jobs and think that what we are doing is so much more important than taking care of the people who pay our paychecks (at least in retail and service), but anyone who thinks that is totally wrong. Customers first. Treat them great at all times. Even if they want to be mean and call you names, smile, be nice, and treat them great. It's simple, isn't it?
I've been a customer of the local phone company for about 5 years. I have always had their cheap phone service, but their best DSL. I love DSL for the security, the stability of the speed, and the upload speed. I have a roommate that loves to play games and when I am downloading, he needs good frame rates to enjoy his games. This is where the upload is so vital. Cable tops out at 256K for their competing price even though they have a 4MB download speed. With DSL I currently get a 1MB upload and a 1.5MB download, which will soon be increased to 3MB. I've always asked for and received their best speeds.
Billing has been another issue entirely! I was overbilled for 11 months in a row for my DSL. When they pull up my account it reads like a book with all the overbilling, cuts in service, and their own mistakes. I will admit that I have paid my bill behind a month many times, but they always get their money and more when they overbill. It used to be that if I was a few days behind they would turn off my phone, but leave the DSL alone. I could call from work, make a payment during lunch, and have my phone turned back on when I got home. All this without interrupting my DSL. Now they turn off the DSL instead of the phone. Getting DSL turned back on takes 5 business days.
Earlier this month I had made a payment and let a manager know that I would get caught up on the 15th when I got paid. I made my payment early that morning and while doing so on the phone realized I had no DSL. The manager had either put my payment date in the comments and they didn't get saved or he didn't enter it at all. When I had talked to him I was assured that paying on the 15th would not be a problem and would not cause an interrupt in my service. I was told it would be Friday before my service was back up. I did talk to a manager last night who was going to expedite this. I don't know what they did, but I'm back up at full speed tonight, even though earlier tonight a manager told me he would have it back up Thursday instead of Friday. I just happened to notice it was up while playing cards and Norton performed an update. Weird, but I will take it!
Since my service is back up early for some unexplained reason, why am I still griping? As a loyal customer in spite of all the problems they have brought on, do I get decent treatment? Well, it depends on who I'm talking to, how ticked I may be, and what mood they are in. Why should that matter at all? Shouldn't they be so kind as to call and ask if there is a problem with the service if I'm more behind than usual? And shouldn't they do this before messing with my account? Wouldn't it be nice if they asked me what they should turn off to get my attention? This way I could choose the phone so that I'm back up and running within hours instead of days.
I'm just tired of having so many problems with this one company after all this time and after all their mistakes. You would think that they would go out of their way to provide great customer service when they have gotten my money for several years without fail. I have never had so many problems with this one company that I wish I could start up competition.
I have trained customer service representatives. I know how customers want and should be treated. I've trained computer technicians how to treat customers. I've trained perfume/cologne sales people on how to take care of their customers. It's really a no brainer. You treat others like you would like to be treated. I know we all get caught up in our jobs and think that what we are doing is so much more important than taking care of the people who pay our paychecks (at least in retail and service), but anyone who thinks that is totally wrong. Customers first. Treat them great at all times. Even if they want to be mean and call you names, smile, be nice, and treat them great. It's simple, isn't it?
Monday, April 18, 2005
I HATE CARS! Part 3 and SOFTBALL SEASON
Well, I got my car back again last Thursday and you will never believe what happened! (Can you feel the sarcasm already?) Now something else is wrong. When I turn right or left the thing squeals. How about that? I don't even have the car for a day and something new is wrong.
I left a message with the mechanic to let him know. Of course, I haven't heard anything, yet, and it's now the end of the day Monday. They tend to wait until I call, but I am going to wait them out this time. I have a feeling that it was towed incorrectly this last time. They towed it without my permission, even though I probably would have granted it, but I also wasn't told what the cost would be. I have a regular tow guy (well, by now I need one) and since this was just a few blocks from the mechanic, they went ahead and pulled it down the street.
I had been told the ignition switch would have taken about an hour when he replaced that last week, which means it should have been done last Monday, but apparently it took quite a bit longer. Now I wonder what he is going to charge for that!
I did drive the car to work today. I'm curious if the towing did something to my brakes. I've always driven this car slow in town, but with the noise it is making, I'm just curious as to how safe I am now. I hope to hear something tonight or tomorrow about getting this repaired.
I had my daughters with me this weekend. We had a great time. I know they were a little bored on Saturday as I had a job for 5 hours that day. They were good sports about it as the office I had to work in was wide open and they had a TV to watch. They played Hide N Seek and had races and pretended to be dentists. It was funny, but I had to work. I thought it would take about 3 hours, but it went a lot longer. They were so well behaved so I treated them to Culver's and DQ, since those are their favorites.
I hate working when they are here. With all the recent car problems, I didn't have a choice. I have to make some money to pay for this stuff. They did get to play outside on Sunday and even went to the park. I also let Brittany make a German Chocolate Pie, which was FANTASTIC! She really had to twist my arm, though. NOT! The recipe was one that was in her hometown cookbook and very easy to make. She and Paige were given recipes to submit by her mother or grandmother. It was cook to see the cookbook with their names in it.
I've been attending the Fort Des Moines Church of Christ since August, but made my membership official yesterday. Membership really doesn't mean anything except that you can vote with the congregation on things, attend and speak up during congregational meetings, and play church softball! Now I didn't make it official for softball. It was just time to make it official. I've been attending for 8 months so it may have been past due. I am playing softball, though.
We had our first softball practice yesterday and I am sore! My thighs hurt from catching a bit and my left side hurts from swinging a bat. The practice was at the same park I always take the girls to. Brittany did some catching and chasing balls that went past the backstop and Paige just went to play with some other kids on the playground equipment. They had fun, but I'm sure that Brittany would have loved to take a few swings. She won't be on the team due to age and we had to let those that are playing do the practicing. She was glad to help out.
I really did pretty good! I hit several line drives off of the young lady that was pitching. She was pitching flat, which is great for hitters, but illegal in slow pitch. I traded places after catching and did a pretty decent job pitching. I have never pitched slow pitch before, but I understand the dynamics and surprised myself at how well I did. I surprised the team, too, as they don't know me well. Most of them attend the newer style second service and I'm there for the traditional one at 8:30AM. If you were to see us all, you'd think it was the other way around.
I'm a pretty good hitter. I can put the ball pretty much where I want it. I'd be good batting first or 6th or 7th in the order. I'm not great at advancing people unless they are on second or third, but I'm good at getting on base with singles through the infield. I'm also a good third baseman and could play second. I don't have the reach of a first baseman or the range of a shortstop. I'm also not good at judging pop flies, but have played Left Center on numerous occasions and do pretty well there.
I will play where they need me. It sounded like I could do some pitching, too. I just enjoy the sport. Baseball is my favorite, but softball suffices in my advanced age. I mean, really, I don't have the bulk or energy to keep running as football and basketball would require! I would love to play some hoops, though, but I need to get in shape for that. I hope to find a walking partner soon.
Who knows? Maybe this summer will be the one where I finally get in shape! Ah, but I say that every year...
I left a message with the mechanic to let him know. Of course, I haven't heard anything, yet, and it's now the end of the day Monday. They tend to wait until I call, but I am going to wait them out this time. I have a feeling that it was towed incorrectly this last time. They towed it without my permission, even though I probably would have granted it, but I also wasn't told what the cost would be. I have a regular tow guy (well, by now I need one) and since this was just a few blocks from the mechanic, they went ahead and pulled it down the street.
I had been told the ignition switch would have taken about an hour when he replaced that last week, which means it should have been done last Monday, but apparently it took quite a bit longer. Now I wonder what he is going to charge for that!
I did drive the car to work today. I'm curious if the towing did something to my brakes. I've always driven this car slow in town, but with the noise it is making, I'm just curious as to how safe I am now. I hope to hear something tonight or tomorrow about getting this repaired.
I had my daughters with me this weekend. We had a great time. I know they were a little bored on Saturday as I had a job for 5 hours that day. They were good sports about it as the office I had to work in was wide open and they had a TV to watch. They played Hide N Seek and had races and pretended to be dentists. It was funny, but I had to work. I thought it would take about 3 hours, but it went a lot longer. They were so well behaved so I treated them to Culver's and DQ, since those are their favorites.
I hate working when they are here. With all the recent car problems, I didn't have a choice. I have to make some money to pay for this stuff. They did get to play outside on Sunday and even went to the park. I also let Brittany make a German Chocolate Pie, which was FANTASTIC! She really had to twist my arm, though. NOT! The recipe was one that was in her hometown cookbook and very easy to make. She and Paige were given recipes to submit by her mother or grandmother. It was cook to see the cookbook with their names in it.
I've been attending the Fort Des Moines Church of Christ since August, but made my membership official yesterday. Membership really doesn't mean anything except that you can vote with the congregation on things, attend and speak up during congregational meetings, and play church softball! Now I didn't make it official for softball. It was just time to make it official. I've been attending for 8 months so it may have been past due. I am playing softball, though.
We had our first softball practice yesterday and I am sore! My thighs hurt from catching a bit and my left side hurts from swinging a bat. The practice was at the same park I always take the girls to. Brittany did some catching and chasing balls that went past the backstop and Paige just went to play with some other kids on the playground equipment. They had fun, but I'm sure that Brittany would have loved to take a few swings. She won't be on the team due to age and we had to let those that are playing do the practicing. She was glad to help out.
I really did pretty good! I hit several line drives off of the young lady that was pitching. She was pitching flat, which is great for hitters, but illegal in slow pitch. I traded places after catching and did a pretty decent job pitching. I have never pitched slow pitch before, but I understand the dynamics and surprised myself at how well I did. I surprised the team, too, as they don't know me well. Most of them attend the newer style second service and I'm there for the traditional one at 8:30AM. If you were to see us all, you'd think it was the other way around.
I'm a pretty good hitter. I can put the ball pretty much where I want it. I'd be good batting first or 6th or 7th in the order. I'm not great at advancing people unless they are on second or third, but I'm good at getting on base with singles through the infield. I'm also a good third baseman and could play second. I don't have the reach of a first baseman or the range of a shortstop. I'm also not good at judging pop flies, but have played Left Center on numerous occasions and do pretty well there.
I will play where they need me. It sounded like I could do some pitching, too. I just enjoy the sport. Baseball is my favorite, but softball suffices in my advanced age. I mean, really, I don't have the bulk or energy to keep running as football and basketball would require! I would love to play some hoops, though, but I need to get in shape for that. I hope to find a walking partner soon.
Who knows? Maybe this summer will be the one where I finally get in shape! Ah, but I say that every year...
Friday, April 15, 2005
Upcoming Concerts
I will update this accordingly, but here is the summer so far. I'm also hoping that the Rock Never Stops Tour will be added soon!
April
27th - Tesla at the Val-Air Ballroom in Des Moines, IA (Acoustic)
28th - The Doors Of The 21st Century at the Civic Center in Des Moines, IA (Ian Astbury of The Cult is singing for The Doors.) CANCELLED
May
4th - Billy Idol at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, MO
6th - Audio Adrenaline, Toby Mac, Kutless, Hawk Nelson at the Val-Air Ballroom in Des Moines
20th - Kip Winger at Keysters in Des Moines, IA
25th - George Thorogood And The Destroyers at the Val-Air Ballroom in Des Moines, IA
June
10th - .38 Special at the Lakeside Casino in Osceola, IA
17th - Vixen at the House Of Bricks In Des Moines, IA
18th - Waterstock in Des Moines, IA, featuring Bret Michaels, Foreigner, Slaughter, Skid Row.
19th - Great White in Des Moines, IA.
July
28th - Colin Hay (Of Men At Work) at Simon Estes Amphitheater in Des Moines, IA
30th - Great White at Keysters in Des Moines, IA.
31st - Def Leppard and Bryan Adams at John O'Donnel Stadium in Davenport, IA
August
2nd - Def Leppard and Bryan Adams at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, NE
3rd - Def Leppard and Bryan Adams at Community America Ballpark in KC, KS
3rd - Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, IA
13th - Georgia Satellites at the Runway Lounge in Des Moines, IA
16th - 18th - Juice Newton at the Iowa State Fair.
19th - ZZ Top at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, IA
28th - American Idols Live at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA
December
1st - Oak Ridge Boys at the Civic Center in Des Moines, IA
April
27th - Tesla at the Val-Air Ballroom in Des Moines, IA (Acoustic)
28th - The Doors Of The 21st Century at the Civic Center in Des Moines, IA (Ian Astbury of The Cult is singing for The Doors.) CANCELLED
May
4th - Billy Idol at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, MO
6th - Audio Adrenaline, Toby Mac, Kutless, Hawk Nelson at the Val-Air Ballroom in Des Moines
20th - Kip Winger at Keysters in Des Moines, IA
25th - George Thorogood And The Destroyers at the Val-Air Ballroom in Des Moines, IA
June
10th - .38 Special at the Lakeside Casino in Osceola, IA
17th - Vixen at the House Of Bricks In Des Moines, IA
18th - Waterstock in Des Moines, IA, featuring Bret Michaels, Foreigner, Slaughter, Skid Row.
19th - Great White in Des Moines, IA.
July
28th - Colin Hay (Of Men At Work) at Simon Estes Amphitheater in Des Moines, IA
30th - Great White at Keysters in Des Moines, IA.
31st - Def Leppard and Bryan Adams at John O'Donnel Stadium in Davenport, IA
August
2nd - Def Leppard and Bryan Adams at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, NE
3rd - Def Leppard and Bryan Adams at Community America Ballpark in KC, KS
3rd - Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, IA
13th - Georgia Satellites at the Runway Lounge in Des Moines, IA
16th - 18th - Juice Newton at the Iowa State Fair.
19th - ZZ Top at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, IA
28th - American Idols Live at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA
December
1st - Oak Ridge Boys at the Civic Center in Des Moines, IA
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Waterstock 2005
Details are as follows for this year's Waterstock at Water Works Park in Des Moines, IA:
June 18 - Poison lead singer Bret Michaels , Foreigner (led by Mick Jones, minus Lou Gramm), Slaughter , Skid Row (minus Sebastian Bach) and Hells Bells (a Florida-based AC/DC cover band). Tickets start selling April 25 through Ticketmaster for $20 each and eventually will cost $40 at the gate.
I can't wait!! Foreigner will be led by Hurricane's ex-lead singer, Kelly Hansen. I had the pleasure of seeing Hurricane back in the day opening for Stryper. That guy can sing! Get tix as soon as you can so you get them cheap. They will go up as time goes on!
June 18 - Poison lead singer Bret Michaels , Foreigner (led by Mick Jones, minus Lou Gramm), Slaughter , Skid Row (minus Sebastian Bach) and Hells Bells (a Florida-based AC/DC cover band). Tickets start selling April 25 through Ticketmaster for $20 each and eventually will cost $40 at the gate.
I can't wait!! Foreigner will be led by Hurricane's ex-lead singer, Kelly Hansen. I had the pleasure of seeing Hurricane back in the day opening for Stryper. That guy can sing! Get tix as soon as you can so you get them cheap. They will go up as time goes on!
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